A recital devoted to Beethoven's late works by renowned pianist Richard Goode, one of the composer's leading interpreters, includes the three last sonatas and the Bagatelles, Op. 119. 8 p.m. Saturday. $40-$55. Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave., S.F. (415) 392-4400. www.chambermusicsf.org.

Chronicle Staff Report

Music: Folk

Angel Olsen has one of the most unique voices in modern folk music, a vulnerable whisper that sounds both ancient and childlike, with a hint of the stark primal power of Appalachian mountain music. Although she seldom raises her voice, there's a dynamic range to her singing, an aching quality that taps into deep, dark pools of loss, longing and hopelessness. 8 p.m. Saturday. $10-$12. Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell St., S.F. (415) 861-2011. www.rickshawstop.com.

Performance: West African music and dance

In "The Madness of the Elephant," the Duniya Dance and Drum Company tells the saga of Guinea's first president, Sekou "the Elephant" Toure, equally known as a benefactor of the country's traditional arts and a paranoid dictator. In the process, they look back on Guinea's history and forward to its future. 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday. $15-$30. Kanbar Hall, Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California St., S.F. (415) 292-1200. www.jccsf.org/arts.

Visual arts: 2-person show

Abstraction and experience, known and unknown, converge in "A Willing Transfer of Belief," featuring the work of artists Michelle Blade and Hillary Wiedemann. Blade creates luminous, multidimensional surfaces in which to explore harmonies and paradoxes; Wiedemann's video and sound installations take visitors on a trip to the sun, with projected images and a soundtrack of solar oscillations. Reception 5-8 p.m. Friday. Through May 18. Noon-6 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 1-5 p.m. Saturday. Johansson Projects, 2300 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. (510) 444-9140. www.johanssonprojects.com.

- Mary Eisenhart

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